How to Read the Bible: An Overview

Summary

This short overview introduces BibleProject's "How to Read the Bible" series. It frames the Bible as an intricate work of art that tells one unified story leading to Jesus, while making clear that it is not a single book but a collection of books, each with its own purpose and literary style. The series sets out to teach viewers how to recognize and read those styles so the Bible feels approachable rather than intimidating.

Key Points

The Bible Is a Unified Story and a Collection

• The Bible is described as an intricate work of art that tells one unified story leading to Jesus.
• It is not like any other book — it is actually a collection of books, each with its own purpose.
• It is not written in a single literary style or genre.

What Genre Means

• A genre is a unique style of communicating, with certain styles being more effective at conveying particular ideas or stories.
• Examples: a news article is one genre, a children's book is another.
• Each genre has its own techniques and rules that writers use to communicate.

The Bible's Three Main Literary Styles

• The Bible has three main literary styles: narrative, poetry, and prose.
• The series unpacks the important elements of each style while walking through key sections of the Bible.
• Episode 1 of the series is an overview of the entire biblical story.

An Approachable Book

• The Bible is large, but it does not have to be intimidating.
• The series aims to show that the Bible is divinely inspired literature that leads us to Jesus.

Notable Quotes

"The Bible is an intricate work of art that tells one unified story that leads to Jesus, but it isn't like any book you've ever read."

"The Bible is a large book, but it doesn't have to be intimidating."